Regenerator flow-box construction



July 28', 1925.

J. VAN ACKEREN REGENERATOR FLOW BOX CONSTRUCTION s Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 13. 1922 July 28, 1925.

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Patented July 28, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

JOSEPH VAN ACKEEEN, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE KOPPER-S COMPANY, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A. CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

BEGENEB-ATOB FLOW-BOX CONSTRUCTION.

Application filed October 13, 1922. Serial No. 594,360.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Josnrn VAN ACK- EREN, a citizen of the United States, residing in Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Regenerator Flow-Box Construction, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to regenerator flow 10X constructions for coking retort ovens or other regenerative heating structures, and has for its object to provide a flow box of simple and relatively inexpensive construction, through which either fuel gas or air may be alternatively supplied to a coke oven regenerator and controlled by a single valve element which operates periodically to either establish communication between the regenerator and the fuel gas or air supply, or between the regenerator and a waste gas tunnel.

In addition to the general objects recited above, the invention has for further objects such other improvements or advantages in construction and operation as are incidental to the structures and devices hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification and showing, for purpose of exemplification, a preferred form and manner 1T1 which the invention may be embodied and practiced, but without limiting the claimed invention specifically to such illustrative instance or instances:

Figure 1 is a view partly in front elevation and partly in vertical longitudinal section, of a portion of a coke oven battery or plant embodying a plurality of periodically operable flow boxes constructed in accordance with the invention;

Figure 2 is a vertical transverse sectional view illustrating the disposition of the flow box with respect to the regenerator, fuel gas supply and control apparatus, and the waste gas tunnel;

Figure 3 is a plan view, on a larger scale, of the improved flow box construction, a portion of the frame structure and regenerator sole channel being shown by dotted lines;

Figure 4 is a front elevational view of the structure illustrated in Fig. 3;

Figure 5 is a vertical section taken longitudinally through a flow box on the line BB Figure 4 and illustrating in detail the valve mechanism of the flow box;

Figure 6 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line AA of Fig. 5 and further illustrating the internal construction of the flow box.

The same characters of reference designate the same parts in each of the several views of the drawings.

The invention is of particular utility in conjunction with coking plants, such as are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and having features of the well-known Koppers cross-regenerative type of coking retort oven exemplified in the patent to H. Koppers, No. 818,033, dated April 19, 1906.

For convenience the present description will be confined to the illustrated embodiment of the invention; features of construction and operation are, however, capable of other valuable applications, such as, for example, to coking plants or regenerative heating structures of other types. The invention is consequently not confined in its scope to the specific use and specific embodiment herein described as an illustrative example.

Referring to the drawings, there are illustrated portions of a coke oven battery or plant of the by-product type, such as has been hereinbefore mentioned. 'The reversing apparatus of the coke oven battery or plant includes, in its construction, a plurality of fiow boxes indicated as an entirety in Figs. 1 and 2 at 11.

The flow boxes 11 which control the flow through the regenerators are respectively disposed in series along the opposite sides of the b ttery and each comprises a main housing or casing 12, the forward portion of which is provided with a port or flow pipe connection 18 which extends upwardly and forwardly from the body of the hous ing. The several flow boxes 11 are arranged in pairs with the inlet opening of one cominunicably connected with a producer or fuel gas conduit Ll by means of pipes 15 and 16 and valves 1'? and 18 and with the inlet opening of the other adapted to be placed in direct communication with the atmosphere.

lhose flow boxes, which on inflow operate for air, may have the main body of the'casing directly communicating with the atmos phere Without the flow pipe connection 13,

as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings. By means of this construction fuel gas and air may be admitted to separate regenerators for preheating and then subsequently conveyed to flame flues of a corresponding single heating wall, in which the coking heat is developed.

The rear portion of each of the housings 12 is open and communicates by a port with a regenerator 19. Each regenerator 19 is a chamber containing open brick work, coinmonly known as checker work and indicated at 21, with a distributing sole channel 20 underneath the checker work of each regenerator, the channels forming the soles of and opening into the checker work of their respective regenerators. These regenerators in alternation are heated by the hot combustion products that are exhausted from the flame or combustion flues hereinbefore mentioned and then impart such heat to the medium that they feed into these flame fines.

The interior of the housing 12 is divided transversely and longitudinally by means of an inclined wall or partition 22 and a vertically disposed wall 23 so as to form a forward compartment 24 and two rear compartments 25. The partition 22 is provided with two openings 26 which alford communication between the forward compartl ment 24 and each of the rear compartments 25. The bottom portion of each of the rear compartments is provided with an opening or port 27 which communicates with waste gas tunnel 28 through a -flue 29.

The front wall 30 of the housing 12 is preferably inclined with respect to the horizontal and may be provided with a plurality of inspection holes 31 through which access may be conveniently obtained to the interior of the flow box and which are both normally closed by means of a single removable cover 32. The lower portion of the front wall 30 of the flow box is provided with a pair of ears 33 between which a lever 34 is pivotally mounted by means of a pin 35. The lever 34 extends in an upward and forward direction and is provided intermediate its extremities with a socketed boss 36 to which an arcuate or segmental arm 37 is suitably secured. The arm 37 extends rearwardly and into the forward compartment 24 of .the flow box through an aperture 38 formed in the front wall 30 of the housing and is provided with a yoke or bifurcated rear portion 39. The arms of the yoke 39 each respectively project through the openings 26 in the partition 22 and into the rear compartments 25 and are respectively pivotally connected, as at 40-, to valve members 41, preferably of the mushroom t pe.

The mushroom valves 41 are adapted to be moved, by means of mechanism hereinafter described, to positions in which they will both engage valve seats 27 to close the waste gas openings 27 in the lower wall of the housing and concurrently to establish communication between the gas inlet or air inlet opening 13 and the regenerator through the openings 26 in the partition 22, or, after reversal, to positions in which they both engage seats 26 to close the openings 26 to temporarily stop the flow of gas and to establish communication between the regenerator and the waste gas tunnel 28.

The radius of curvature of the arm 37 is such that it may pass freely through the aperture 38, the dimensions of which are larger than the cross-sectional dimensions of the arm, throughout its path of movement and the inclination of the wall or partition 22 is such that the mushroom valves 41 may seat accurately on both of the valve seats 26 and 27 The upper portions of pairs of the levers 34 converge as shown in Fig. 1, and the levers of alternate pairs of flow boxes through which fuel gas is admitted, are connected, adjacent to their outer extremities, by a rod or bar 42- to the levers of the intermediate pairs of flow boxes through which air is introduced to the battery. lVith this construction each of the rods 42 controls the concurrent operation of a pair of adjacent flow boxes, one, flow box being adapted to admit air and the other fuel gas.

A plurality of bell crank levers 43 are pivotally mounted upon the side frame work of the coking plant at 44. An arm 45 of each of the levers 43 is connected to the corresponding rod 42 by means of a link 46 and the other arm 47 of each of the levers 43 extends downwardly and is adapted to be e11- gaged by lugs 47 which are carried by a longitudinally extending reversing cable 48. The cab-1e 48 is in turn connected to a suitable reversing machine, not shown, which, at the end of the usual reversing period, moves the cable and operates the bell crank levers 43, to reverse the flow through the regenerative system, in a well known manner.

The bell crank levers 43 operate in such manner that when the levers 34 of the co,- operating alternate pairs of flow boxes are in a raised position to permit the flow of gas and air to the regenerator, the same levers of the intermediate pairs of flow boxes are depressed to permit the waste gases from the outflow regenerator to escape to the waste gas tunnel 28.

The flow of gas and air through the openings 26 in the partition 22 may be regulated independently of the valve mechanism, heretofore described, by means of a plurality of finger bars 49 which are supported, in superposed relation with respect to each other, upon lugs or flanges 50 formed on the partition 22. -Tlie area of the openingsbetween the rear compartments 'ofthe flow box and the sole channel 21 maybesimilarly varied by means of a plurality-of finger bars 51 which are removably maintained in position by means of slides 52 on the side walls of the rear compartments 25.

A damper 53 is positioned in the lower portion of the flow box and may be employed to regulate the flow of waste gas through the openings 27 which communicate with the waste gas tunnel 28 through the flue 29.

The escape of gas from the forward compartment 24 through the aperture 38, when the valve mechanism is in the position for fuel gas inflow or air inflow, is prevented by means of a washer or gasket 54 which is carried by the arm 37 The washer 54 is yieldably maintained in position to close the aperture 38 by means of a coiled spring 55 which embraces the arm 37 between the washer 54 and the box 36.

The washer 54 and spring 55 also perform the function of a shock absorber to take the thrust of the lever 34 and prevent transmission of stresses to the front wall of the flow box when the valve mechanism is actuated to close the port leading to the waste gas tunnel.

The invention hereinabove set forth is embodied in a particular form or construction but may be variously embodied within the scope of the claims hereinafter made.

lVhat is claimed is:

1. A regenerator flow box construction comprising a housing provided with three ports; an inclined ported partition withln said housing and intersecting the path of flow through one of said ports; and a valve mechanism movably mounted within said housing and adapted to be actuated to seat alternately against said partition or over another of said ports, substantially as specified.

2. A regenerator flow box construction comprising a housing provided with three ports; a ported partition within said housing and intersecting the path of flow through one of said ports; an operatlng lever pivoted exteriorly said housing; an arm connected to said lever and extending within the housing and through the ported partition; and a valve member carried by the free end of said arm and movable thereby for alternately seating against said partition or over another of said ports, substantially as specified.

3. A regenerator flow box construction comprising: a housing provided with an inlet port for the inflow, with a regenerator port connecting the interior of the flow box with a regenerator, and with an outlet port for the outflow; an inclined ported partition within said housing and intersecting the path of inflow therethrough and a: valve mechanism movably mounted within said housing and adapted to beactuated to seat alternately against said partition orover said. outlet port; substantially as specified;

4. A regenerator flow box construction comprising: a housing provided'with an inlet port for the inflow, with a regenerator port connecting the interior of the flow box with a regenerator, and with an outlet port for the outflow, a ported partition within said housing and intersecting the path of inflow therethrough; an operating lever pivoted exteriorly said housing; an arm connected to said lever and extending within the housing; and a valve member carried by said arm and movable thereby for alternately seating against said partition or over said outlet port; substantially as specified.

5. A regenerator flow box construction comprising: a housing provided with an inlet port for the inflow, with a regenerator port connecting the interior of the flow box with a regenerator, and with an outlet port for the outflow, an operating lever means pivoted exteriorly of the housing and freely extended through an aperture in the housing wall, a valve member operated by said lever means, and means for engaging the housing wall to close said aperture when the valve is actuated to close said outlet port; substantially as specified.

6. A regenerator flow box construction comprising: a housing provided with an inlet port for the inflow, with a regenerator port connecting the interior of the flow box with a regenerator, and with an outlet port for the outflow; an operating lever pivoted exteriorly of said housing, an arm connected to said lever and freely extended through an aperture in the housing wall, a valve member carried by said arm and operable thereby, and yieldable means carried by said arm for closing said aperture to prevent the escape of gas therethrough, when said valve is actuated to close said outlet port; substantially as specified.

7. A regenerator flow box construction comprising: a housing provided with an in let port, with a regenerator port, and with an outlet port; a partition disposed within said housing and having a flow opening therein, and independently adjustable means for varying the respective areas of said partition flow opening and of said regenerator port; substantially as specified.

8. In the combination as defined in claim 4, a pivotal connection between the lever arm and the valve member, substantially as specified.

9. A regenerator flow box construction comprising a housing provided with ports; an operating lever pivoted exteriorly of said housing; an are shaped arm concentric with the pivotal point of the lever connected at one end to said lever and freely extending 9, in which the opereting lever ispivoted at throughan aperture in the housingwall; a a pointsubstantially in the plane of the valve member carried by the free end of housing .Wall, substantially as specified. 10 said arm and operable thereby to control the In testimony whereof I have hereunto set flow through said ports, substantially as y h il specified; Y h r 10. The combination asdefinecl in claim JOSEPH VAN ACKEREN. 

